ChocolatFestival de Musique Émergente, Rouyn-Noranda QC, September 1

A motley crew of scraggly hair, vintage rock tees, leather jackets, and – in keyboardist Christophe Lamarche-Ledoux's case – a barelegged underwear and t-shirt combo, the irony was thick as Chocolat marched onstage to a classical violin fanfare. But any attempt at a serious introduction might sully the lack of airs being put on here. Chocolat makes damn rock music, and Rouyn was all in for it, a sweaty, packed room (industry professionals and media making up a solid share of the audience) moshing along and carrying crowd surfers back to the bar from start to finish. Over the course of their hour-long set, they ripped through blazing garage psychedelia, classic proto-metal licks, and other burners as they unpacked their 2017 Polaris-longlisted Recontrer Looloo. When it was all over, they granted an especially-persistent crowd a 15-minute encore.